What type of rewards are most appropriate for volunteers

So, rather than using outdated ideas about what motivates people, how can leaders of volunteers use what science has discovered to improve their recognition practices? Here are some ideas:. By changing the way you approach volunteer recognition activities, you may be able to better tap into what really drives human motivations and, along the way, help volunteers feel truly acknowledged and appreciated. What ideas do you have on whats to engage, reward, and motivate volunteers?

Volunteer Rewards and Recognition People Actually Want Extrinsic motivators are still what most of the world relies on to reward employees through pay for performance, for example — as well as volunteers through gifts and awards. Here are some ideas: Encourage Mastery Give volunteers leeway to create new work processes and tools for your program and agency; develop style guides so that they know the minimum expectations and can work within agency guidelines.

Provide Autonomy If extensive training is required, allow volunteers to direct at least some of their own learning; offer them a Learning Checklist and goals with which they can track their own progress. Offer certificates or small plaques thanking participants for their time and help as mentors in schools.

Ask the mayor or event sponsor to write thank-you letters to the people who volunteer at a community health and wellness expo and send copies to their bosses or hometown newspapers.

Appeal to prospective volunteers' sense of community when seeking their help with projects to clean up or otherwise improve your area. In addition, college students may earn class credit, Scout troops and school organizations can meet community service requirements, and some companies offer time off or matching funds to their employees who participate in community volunteer work. Post a sign or plaque at the site of such efforts, listing the names of the participants, or crediting their organization -- "Trees planted by Scout Troop 46," for example.

Roadside signs identifying the organization responsible for cleaning a stretch of road are an example of this type of incentive. Some people are so motivated by internal factors that actual gifts or token rewards are unnecessary. Better yet, make it an event! Group awards also encourage team building and reward those who work well together.

Call it a yearbook, if you will. Collect photos from different projects, annual events and holiday celebrations and put them in a print publication for volunteers to celebrate their work and collect special memories.

It is a pity that many internal bonuses and recognition levels are never generated. A simple and free way to do this is to give the volunteers a volunteer certificate that will help them to gain credibility and to congratulate them on their efforts. Today, digital tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Pages and pre-printed certificate paper help make certificates beautiful straight from your at-home computer.

Every quarter, Fly For Good profits are transferred to a humanitarian project such as the Balinese Dyslexia Foundation. Current volunteers can earn points by staffing tables, giving presentations and helping out at the office. A points-based volunteer rewards program can be implemented in many different ways.

A leading example of volunteer points is the Cabot Creamery Cooperative , which created a directory where participants can log their hours in exchange for points. The digital platform allows volunteers to engage in healthy competition and inspire their friends and family to sign up to do their part, as well. Some volunteers may even have the chance to attend the Cabot Celebrity Cruise.

Donating 40 hours of time in a year earns volunteers a PCTA shirt; hours of lifetime volunteer service earns helpers a bandana. PCTA volunteers are also eligible for regional and national passes to public lands. This strategy also serves as a smart example of how nonprofits can offer rewards that are relevant to the work itself.

Volunteers who help out on trails are likely passionate about the wilderness, so rewarding them with free access to enjoy the great outdoors is an appropriate response. Equipping volunteers with fun perks and branded merchandise can help make them feel like part of the team, too.

T-shirts are a classic, meaningful way to show your appreciation to volunteers.